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Lucy Napper

ResearchMy research focuses on responses to health-risk information, attitude and behavior change, and the assessment of health-related cognition and behaviors. My research is grounded in models of social cognition, stages of change, social norms, and self-affirmation theory. I am currently pursuing several related lines of research. Firstly, I explore factors that influence perceptions of health risks and health behaviors. This includes the influence of peers and parents on substance use and sexual risk behaviors of emerging adults. Building on this line of research, I also study the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing substance use and associated risks, including ways to promote effective parent communication about health risks during emerging adulthood.

My quantitative interests focus on psychometrics, including the development and evaluation of measures related to substance use, mental health, and sexual risk. For example, I am currently working on projects examining the assessment of hooking up outcomes, communication about substance use, and acculturation stress.

I have a joint appointment in the Health, Medicine, and Society Program, and I am also a member of the Lehigh Community Health Research Group. This group investigates health outcomes using a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach. CBPR is a collaborative approach to research that emphasizes working with the community to address health needs and disparities.